Cincinnati Bengals (3-4-1 SU, 3-5 ATS) vs. New York Giants (5-3 SU, 4-3-1 ATS)
Week 10 NFL
Date/Time: Monday Night Football, November 14, 2016 at 8:30PM EST
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
TV: ESPN
By Loot, NFL Football Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
Betting Odds: CIN +2/NYG -2
Over/Under Total: 47
The Cincinnati Bengals come to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Giants on Monday Night Football from East Rutherford. The Bengals had a bye week leading to this game and they hope to get things cooking quickly after an uncharacteristically-slow 3-4-1 start to the season through eight games. Before the bye, the Bengals played to a 27-27 tie at home with the Redskins. After the draining tie, the bye perhaps came at a good time, as Cincy looks to turn it on in the second half. To do so, they'll have to contend with a Giants' team that has won three in a row to get heir record to 5-3. On Sunday, the Giants scored a 28-23 win over the Eagles in a good divisional win. They look to make it 6-3 this week on MNF against the incoming Bengals.
The Bengals' last game with the Redskins was a back-and-forth affair, as Washington tied it up late in the game. Bengals' kicker Mike Nugent missed an extra point and a field goal, either of which would have gone a long way. The defense was leaky, as the Redskins put up well over 500 yards of total offense, with Washington QB Kirk Cousins posting a 458-yard passing day. Through the first half of the season, we are seeing a Cincinnati defense that has taken a backwards step from their customary form.
They enter week ten toward the bottom of the standings in total defense. Injuries and suspensions have hurt, but it goes beyond that, as they've just seemingly lost their mojo. Cincinnati has depended on "D" to get them to the playoffs five straight times and without that, we're seeing what happens. The secondary isn't particularly sharp and they've gotten a very lackadaisical pass-rush in the first half of the season. We see some point totals being posted that we're not used to seeing from this bunch. But you have to defer to the coaching a little bit, too. While it's entirely possible that the Bengals are past their window of success, one can't rule out a possible second-half spurt. It better start this week because even if the AFC North will be wide-open this season, the Bengals can't afford to many more slip-ups with only 3 wins through eight games.
The Bengals offense is a strange one this season. While they can pass and run the ball with good results, ranking 5th and 6th respectively, they are 20th in total scoring. Andy Dalton has thrown only three picks so it's a bit mystifying. They certainly aren't getting the most out of what they have, that's for sure. Dalton is near 2400 yards through the air, with only 9 TD throws. At times this season, shutting down AJ Green has led to great results for opposing defenses, though Green is having a good season and is among the league leaders in receiving yards. Brandon LaFell and rookie Tyler Boyd have chipped in, along with some catches out of the backfield by Giovani Bernard, but it's a pretty one-dimensional passing game at times. The ground-game has also been inconsistent. Jeremy Hill has had his moments, but it's not a part of the game that is being applied as well as in the past. And a Cincinnati team laboring defensively and in the run game is not a Bengals team that is likely to succeed. It will indeed be interesting to see what they come up with after the bye-week.
The Eagles used their aerial game to good affect on Sunday night, with Eli Manning tossing four TD passes, with Odell Beckham catching two of them and Sterling Shepard and rookie Roger Lewis haling in another one. They have a lot of weapons through the air with Beckham, Jr., Shepard, Victor Cruz, and others making big things happen. Rookie Paul Perkins wasn't able to spring many runs, though he did catch two passes. Naturally, the run-game lags behind the aerial attack, but this is an offense that looks to be coming around as the season gets into the second half. For a lot of the season, it wasn't translating, but now they're starting to score points.
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Key to the Giants' success has been an upgraded defense. They're 10th in points allowed with just a tick over 20 points allowed per game. They've given up just 56 points during this 3-game win streak. They're also getting big plays—turnovers, sacks, and key stops. They have only recovered one fumble all season, but 8 picks have been useful. Their secondary has been dicey in terms of coverage, though it doesn't always manifest. It could this week. While the rest of the defense has stepped up, the secondary looks to be a possible snag in the fence. Giving up 364 to an off-target Carson Wentz is not a good thing, though they at least kept him out of the end zone.
Cincinnati is rested and really needs this. It's just an odd spot for them to suddenly thrive, as they face a peaking Giants team in East Rutherford in a cross-conference road game. It can be a costly game to play with a team like Cincy to wait for them to snap out of their funk, but following a bye and looking at some of the different matchup components at play here, I think a stance on Cincinnati getting a few points can be justified. I'm taking the Bengals.
Loot's Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I'm betting on the Cincinnati Bengals plus two points. Did you know... that you could be wagering on the Cincinnati vs. New York game at discounted odds? There's a better than good chance that you're laying -110 odds (or more) with your book. Stop overpaying TODAY by making the switch to 5Dimes Sportsbook! You will be so glad that you did!